Second Battle of Bach Dang: Dai Viet destroys the Yuan-Mongol fleet
- Date
- 9 April 1288
- Category
- Military & conflict
- Region
- Northern Vietnam (Bach Dang River estuary, Quang Ninh)
- Era
- Post-Classical / Medieval
- Significance
On 9 April 1288, the forces of Dai Viet, commanded by the Tran-dynasty grand commander Tran Hung Dao, annihilated the invading Yuan-Mongol fleet on the estuary of the Bach Dang River in present-day Quang Ninh Province, northern Vietnam.
The battle was the decisive engagement of the third Mongol invasion of Dai Viet launched by Kublai Khan, whose naval force under Admiral Omar was attempting to withdraw to China after failing to secure the captured capital of Thang Long. Reviving the tide-timed stratagem first used by Ngo Quyen against Southern Han forces in 938, Tran Hung Dao had iron-tipped wooden stakes driven into the riverbed; Vietnamese skirmishers lured the Yuan ships upriver at high tide, and as the water fell the fleet was impaled, trapped, and set ablaze. Some 400 Yuan vessels were destroyed or captured and Admiral Omar was taken prisoner, ending Mongol ambitions to subjugate Dai Viet and the wider region. The victory secured the independence of Dai Viet, cemented Tran Hung Dao's status as one of Vietnam's foremost national heroes, and remains among the most celebrated battles in Vietnamese history.
One piece of history in your inbox, weekly
New empires, events and features as they land — one good email a week. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Empires active in 9 April 1288
- Mongol Empire1206 CE – 1368 CE
- Kanem-Bornu Empire700 CE – 1900 CE
- Solomonic dynasty1270 CE – 1974 CE
- Byzantine Empire330 CE – 1453 CE
- Yuan Dynasty1271 CE – 1368 CE
- Sukhothai Kingdom1238 CE – 1438 CE
Related military & conflict events
- Mongol sack of Baghdad ends the Abbasid Caliphate10 February 1258 CE
- Mongol Invasions Topple the Pagan Empire of Burma1277-1287 CE (Pagan collapse, 1287)
- Failed Mongol invasions of Japan and the 'kamikaze'1274 & 1281 CE
- Battle of Ain Jalut halts the Mongol advance3 September 1260 CE
- The Ottoman conquest of Constantinople29 May 1453 CE
- Mongol sack of Kiev and the fall of Kievan Rus'December 1240 CE
Further reading
The wider story
Angkor and the Khmer Civilization
Accessible introduction to Angkor by a renowned archaeologist.
Get it on Amazon →As an Amazon Associate, Human Saga earns from qualifying purchases.